Flotation agent



Mercedes. is, 1922.

cnrra s'rares I 1,439,107 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HIDY JAMES, 015 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 CLARENCE P.

BYRNES, TRUSTEE, OF SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLOTATION AGENT.

" No Drawing. Application filed June 28, 1919, Serial No. 807,264.Renewed April 27, 1922. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HIDY JAMES, residing at Pittsburgh, AlleghenyCounty, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFlotation Agents, of which the following is a full, clear, andexactdescription In my copending application Serial No. 272,567, filedJanuary 22, 1919, I have described a process of making aldehyde fattyacids from open chain hydrocarbons occurring in petroleum, shale oil, orthe oil from the low temperature distillation of coal, or theirdistillates. The process therein described is a process of partialcombustion wherein air is mixed with the vapor of the open chainhydrocarbons and the mixture passed through a catalytic agent undercertain temperature and other conditions. When properly carried out, theprocess will produce a product having for its major content the variousintermediate oxidation products of open chain hydrocarbons, i. e.,aldehyde fatty acids, aldehydes, alcohols and as seeondary products,waxes of the aldehyde fatty acids. While the other oxidation productsmentioned probably influence the flotation effect, I believe the primaryeffect here to be due to the aldehyde fatty acids and waxes present in agiven mixture.

In the flotation industry, the oils used at present are usually dividedin two classes according to their functions, namely, collectors, such ascoal tar solutions or fuel oil, these being usually added in the ballmill before feeding the material into the first flotation machine, thepurpose of such collectors being to wet or coat the finely divided oreparticles; and second, frothers, such as creosote or pine oil, whichserve to carry up the coated ore particles to the top of the agitatedliquid bath. In these groups, the collectors are usually the cheaperoils or tars, while the frothers are usually the more expensive wood orcoal tar creosotes or the still more expensive pine oils.

I have discovered that my oxidation products containing the aldehydefatty acids are valuable both as combination collectors and frothers;and also for use as frothers only, some other cheap oil or tar beingused for the collector. That is, my product may be iJsed both as acollector to wet or coat the ore and also as a frother in the agitationtank; or it may be used in the agitation tank as a frother alone. I havealso found that where the said partial oxidation products are used asfrothers the best results are obtained by using as a collector therewitha heavy hydrocarbon fraction or distillate of the same series as thatfrom which the aldehyde mixture is prepared. By using some of thelighter distillates, such as kerosene and the lighter fuel oil fractionsfor partial oxidation into the aldehyde fatty acid mixture, I can, withconsiderable advantage, use the heavier hydrocarbon fraction orfractions of the same series for the collector;

In making experiments to determine the effect of-small quantities of myoxidation products in flotation work where it is desirable, to use largequantities of cheap oil, such as fuel oil for the collector, theoxidation products being added to produce the desired frothing, I havefound that if partial combustion products are made from certain oils,particularly California petroleum which, in addition to open chainhydrocarbons contains closed-ring hydrocarbons of the naphthene type,that products having frothing values approaching that of pine oil areobtained.

Pine oil consists largely of terpenes, and I believe that in .my processwhen an oi or an oil distillate of the naphthene base type is used, myproduct contains in addition to the oxidation products of open chainhydrocarbons, naphthenic bodies having part of their hydrogen removed byoxidation, with the resulting formation of terpenic hydrocarbons. In anyevent, I have found that my partial combustion products which are ofvalue as frothing agents in the flotation process, are increased invalue when they are made from an oil containing naphthenes, and Iattribute the increased value to the chemical action above crushed andpulverized to (30 mesh. Apparatus .used, Ja-nney laboratory flotationmachine with 2 liters water per charge, using for a frother the oxidizedproduct from California petroleum (250350 C.) fraction, and forcollector the fraction of raw oil from same source, boiling from 350400'C., in the proportions of .16 cc. and .1 cc., re spectively. I obtaineda fine froth, rapid carrying up and fairly 'clean concentrates withsmall amount of slimes. These quantities amount to 04% frother and .02%col lector, percentages being based on weight of ore.

(2) 400 grams copper pyrites and barnite ore (quartz-granite gangue) wasused. For flotation 5.5, cc. of a mixture consisting of 1.25% pine oiland 98.75% 3-50400 fraction California oil (raw) was taken. Froth wasperfect, correct depth, perfect carrying up and 95% extraction in 20minutes.

(3) Same ore as in 2. For flotation 5.5 cc. of a mixture consisting of5% oxidized California oil (250350 C. fraction) for frother, and 95%California oil fraction (raw) 350400 C. fraction, for collector. Frothing was too rapid, concentrates fairly clean. froth deep. It wasevident that frothing agent was in excess. In the following experiment,the frother was cut down.

(4) 400 grams same ore as in preceding experiment was used. Theflotation oil was made by taking 2.5% of the oxidized California oil250350 C.) fraction for frother and 97.5% California oil (raw) 350-400fraction for collector, and 5.5 cchwas used. Took longer time to bringup sulphides than with pine oil above, but concentrates were fairlyclean and 95% extraction was obtained in about 25 minutes.

The advantages of my invention result from my discovery of the peculiaradvantage and functions of the aldehyde fatty acids and otherintermediate hydrocarbon oxidation products in the art of mineralflotation. As my partial oxidation product can be obtained relativelycheaply from open chain hydrocarbons, a much cheaper frother than thosenow employed is afforded with fully as good, and 1n many cases, betterresults. Furthermore, my material may be used both as a collector andfrother, if dcsired. By purchasing crude oil and-using the lighterdistillates for obtaining my aldehyde fatty acid mixtures, I have found,as above shown, that the lower distillate or distillates of the sameseries are of particular advantage as collectors in the flotationprocess. That is, when the aldehyde acid mixtures are obtained from acertain oil or dis tillate, the heavier distillates of the same base oilare specially valuable in the collecting portion of the process.

As above stated, my product is of special advantage and of increasedfrothing value when it is made from the oils or oil distillatescontaining naphthenes.

Changes may be made in the hydrocarbon employed, in producing my partialoxidation products, the percentages of the terpenes, aldehydes, aldehydefatty acids, etc., therein, certain of the compounds may be removed, andother changes may be made without departing from my invention.

I make no claim herein broadly covering the product of the partialoxidation process disclosed in my copending application, Serial No.272,567, above referred to, as the said claims are contained therein.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a flotation agent containing amixture of aldehyde fatty acids.

2. A flotation agent containing fatty acids and aldehydes.

8. A flotation agent containing an aldehyde acid and terpenes.

4. A flotation agent containing aldehyde fatty acids, aldehydes andterpenes.

5. A flotation agent containing aldehyde fatty acids and aldehyde acidwaxes.

6. A flotation agent containing aldehyde fatty acids, aldehyde acidwaxes and terpenes.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a flotation agent consisting of thepartial combustion or partial oxidation product of petroleum containingnaphthenes.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

aldehyde JOSEPH HIDY JAMES.

